Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado will not attend ceremony, Nobel Institute says

María Corina Machado, the Venezuelan opposition chief who was awarded this yr’s Nobel Peace Prize, is not going to attend the ceremony in Oslo on Wednesday, the director of the Norwegian Nobel Institute mentioned, including that he didn’t know the place she was.

Machado was set to obtain the award within the Norwegian capital at 1 p.m. native time (7 a.m. ET) in a ceremony attended by Norwegian royalty in addition to Latin American leaders together with Argentine President Javier Milei and Ecuadorean President Daniel Noboa.

“She is sadly not in Norway and won’t stand on stage at Oslo Metropolis Corridor at 1 p.m. when the ceremony begins,” Kristian Berg Harpviken, the director of the institute and the everlasting secretary of the award physique, instructed Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, in keeping with Reuters.

Requested the place she was, Harpviken mentioned: “I don’t know.”

Machado, 58, is barred from leaving Venezuela and has spent greater than a yr in hiding since President Nicolás Maduro declared victory in an election final yr that was broadly criticized as rigged. She had been the opposition’s unique candidate in opposition to Maduro, however the authorities prevented her from operating.

A information convention the place Machado was supposed to look was canceled on Tuesday after a delay of a number of hours. The institute didn’t say whether or not the information convention, which laureates historically maintain the day earlier than the formal award ceremony, can be rescheduled.

“Machado has herself said in interviews how difficult the journey to Oslo, Norway will probably be,” it mentioned Tuesday.

Harpviken mentioned the ceremony would nonetheless go forward and that Machado’s daughter, Ana Corina Sosa Machado, would settle for the award in her place.

The Nobel Institute didn’t instantly reply to an emailed request for added remark.

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